While there is Broek Farms rotisserie ham, I chose vine ripened tomatoes which peeked out from beneath herbed hollandaise.

We also ordered the french toast, which we pretty much fought over and later learned is not a regular on the menu.

Echo threatened to eat it all if I didn’t get on it and, at one point, I’m pretty sure I saw her elbow her tot out of the way to get at the sweet pudding.

“Weight Watchers be dammed,” she said, savouring a forkful.

Although Echo urged me to come up with a more mature analogy, the best way to describe it is as a dense, thick, brick of bread pudding.

Chef Hugh later explained it is brioche bread mixed with cream and eggs and sugar then baked as bread pudding.

Pulling it from the oven, he plops it down on a puddle of peach sauce (with a bit of booze) adds some maple syrup on the side, crème fraiche and garnishes it with strawberries and fresh mint.

I told Hugh it was wonderful and, given it’s not on the menu, he offered to make a batch for anyone who calls ahead.

Although there were several tables with children, including one where a wee boy tucked in against a few pillows and took a good long nap while the ladies talked about dating disasters, there is nothing on the menu for the little ones.

Of course, adults can share (unless it’s Echo and the bread pudding) but they may want to put a pancake or two on the menu for kids.

Overall we liked the place, except for the coffee.

Some of us less sophisticated folk simply like good, old drip coffee.

So we were disappointed, while anticipating a nice cuppa joe on a Sunday morning, to instead get horrendously strong French press.

Fancy and all, it was pretty much impossible to consume until we added a few pots of hot water, which gradually made it fit for human consumption.

To each their own, I’m sure some would love it, but regular coffee would have been a nice option for those with less refined tastes.

I later read on its website 80th & Ivy hopes to offer good, affordable food without being pretentious.